Raikkonen tests GP3 car in Barcelona

Kimi Raikkonen tested a 2013 GP3 car in Barcelona on Friday to help give feedback to one of the teams.

Raikkonen's friend Afa Heikkinen runs the Koiranen GP team in the series, and Raikkonen was called upon to evaluate the tyres and a number of solutions to help encourage more overtaking next season. Having completed 58 laps with a best time of 1:34.780 at the Circuit de Catalunya, Raikkonen admitted he had enjoyed the experience having never driven a GP3 car before.

"I have been closely following [Koiranen's] progress and results since the beginning of the season," Raikkonen said. "I was curious to see how the car handled and it was actually fun to drive. There were a few issues regarding its behaviour, but we managed to solve most of them. The GP3/13 is a very good tool for young drivers, especially when you have to learn about tyre management like we have in F1."

Didier Perrin - the GP3 technical director - said having a driver of such experience had proven hugely beneficial.

"We are extremely pleased to have had the opportunity to work with Kimi today," Perrin said. "His experience and feedback were invaluable and they gave us a better understanding of what needs to be done in order to make our car a better tool in overtaking opportunities for next season. He has confirmed all our hypothesis, and together we could start working on two development directions for the end of season testing."